Heating system.



R. L; GIFFORD. HEATING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED OGT. 23, 1909.

Patent ed Man28, 1911.

nnrrnn snares ROBERT L. crrronn, or

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO IRVING COWLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HEATING SYSTEM.

senses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, Hill.

Application filed October 23, 1909.. Serial No. 524,115.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. Grrrono, a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and precise specification.

My ,invention relates to heating systems, particularly to heating systems adapted for use in steam railway shops.

In the round-houses hot water is required for washing out and refilling locomotive boilers and for other purposes, and in winter time the buildings must also be heated. Heretofore separate systems have been used for heating locomotive refilling water and for heating the buildings, the buildings being usually heated by steam and the locomotive refilling water being heated by the water i and steam blown off from the locomotive boilers which were to be cleaned and refilled, while the blown-cit water if used for washing out has never been re-heated. Generally the heating system is supplied by exhaust steam from the power plants, but in many cases the supply is so great that only a part of the exhaust steam can be made use of for heating. purposes, the remainder going to waste. In summer time when no heat is required all the exhaust steam goes to waste, the result being that in manyrailway power plants considerable horse power of exhaust steam is wasted. In these prior systems the water heating apparatus .has no connection whatever with the heating system. and depends entirely for its heat supply upon blowoff water and steam from the locomotive boilers, and if used is confined to heating fresh water, not to re-heating the blownott' water which may cool before being needed.

aOne of thp salient objects of my invention is to combine the locomotive wash-out and refilling water-heating mechanisms with the heating system to make thesemechanisms units in the heating system stnthat the mechanisms can receive exhaust steam supply from the heating system for heating the water.

Another important object is to adapt the water heating units for receiving blow-off tainin I water and steam from locomotive boilers as the heating medium and to adapt the units for using such heating medium alone or in conjunction with exhaust steam from the heating system.

Another important object is to associate the units directly with a vacuum system provided for the heating system. so that vacuum effect can be extended to the blow-cit Water to thus recover a maximum of the heat units in such water. By this association of the units with the heating system vacuum mechanism, special vacuum and other mechanism for the water heater units are eliminated, a common vacuum mechanism servin for all the various units forming part oi the heating system.

Another object of my invention is to provide connection whereby surplus heat derived from the blow-oil water and steam can be directed from the water heater units into the heating system, and another object is to provide heating mechanism into which surplus heat from blow-off water and steam can be directed from the water heater units to re-heat the blow-cit water, which reheated water can be used for wash-out or other purposes.

Other novel features are also present in my invention which is clearly illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawing.

In this drawing Figure 1 is a diagram matic lay-out of a steam railroad shop showing a round-house and various other build ings together with a power plant. Fig. ,9.

heating unit, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged diametrical sectional view of a steam trap used in the system.

In Fig. 1, P represents the power plant in which is shown a number of steam driven engines E. At the power house are also a vacuum pump 1; and a feed water heater h for heating the feed water for the boilers which supplysteam for the engines E. B represents a number of buildings each conheating mechanisms m. The roundhouse ld has a number of radially extending pits p each lined by steam coils g. The exis an enlarged elevation view of a Water parts of a heating unit of this kind are more. or less diagrammatically illustrated. The

haust from the steam engines E is distributed to the various buildings through supply piping a, connecting to the radiators, coils or other heating devices 771. and to the pit coils Return piping r connects with the return ends of the various heating devices m and the pit coils q and leads to the vacuum pump a at the power plant. On the return end of each of the heating units is included a suitable steam trap 3 whose construction may be like that shown in Fig. 2. The one illustrated in Fig. 3 comprises acup 1- having a cover 2, an inlet 3 and an outlet 4. A valve nipple5 communicates with outlet 4 and is controlled by a Heat 6. In the system the return piping r connects with the various trap outlets 4 and the outlet ends of the heating units connect with the trap inlets 3. The vacuum system operates in a well known manner, the pump tending to remove all water and air from the steam system and the traps serving to prevent escape of steam from the steam system. The water usually flows from the vacuum pump to the heater h where it is heated in a suitable manner, as by exhaust steam entering through the branch 6.

In accordance with my invention I include as units in the heating system, any number of locomotive wash-out and refilling Water heaters. For illustration, I have shown a water heater W connected with the mains e and r. The heated water flows from the heater through a supply pipe 0 to washout or refilling piping 0 conveniently placed within the round-house. The water heater can be situated Within the round-house or can be accommodated in a separate building If adjacent the round-house, as shown. Anefficient water heater for use in systems of this kind is disclosed in the joint application of myself and Irving Cowles, Serial No. 514,901, filed August 27th, 1909. and in the application of Irving Cowles filed of even date with this application. The essential heater comprises a tank 7 mounted on a base 8 and a tank 9 mounted on tank 7. Tank 7 has a steam'compartment 10 and a water compartment 11 through which pass flues 12 forming part of the steam compartment. Tank 9 likewise contains a steam compartment 13 and a water compartment 14 through which pass flues 15 forming part of the steam compartment. Piping 16 ,con nects with the steam compartment of tank 9 and with .n'e steam compartment oi tank 7 tl'irough connection l7. As shown in Fig. l, pipe 16 leads from the steam supply piping 1;. The water to be heated in the tanks, nters tl'irough a main 18 at the lower part of tank 7 and flows upwardly through this tank and through a connection 19 into tank 9, the heated water being delivered through piping c. In connection 19 a check valve 20 is included for preventing back flow of water from tank 9 to tank 7. The water of condensation flows from the steam compartments to the piping 2L whichconnects with return piping 1' leading to the vacuum pump.

at-the power plant. a vacuum trap 8 being included in the piping to prevent the escape of steam from the steam compartments. The Water in the tanks can, therefore, be heated by exhaust steam supplied from the power plant, the water heater forming one of the units of the entire heating system. The supporting structure 8 can be formed to provide a vat 22 into which blow-ofi' water and steam can be led from locomotive boilers through piping 23, the blow-off steam flowing from the vat through connection 2% into steam compartment 10 of tank 7 and through connection 17 into the steam compartment 13 of tank 9. The level of the water in the vat never reaches the top of the vat so that there is always an air space above the water. thus preventing flow of blow-off water into theheating compartments of the tanks. The vacuum eifect created in the steam compartments of the tanks is extended to the vat 22 through connection 24 and the blow-off water can be caused to boil until all useful heat units are extracted therefrom in the form of steam and vapor which flow into the tanks to heat the water circulating therethrough.

Any number of water heater units can be connected with the heating-system and the Water can be heated solely by exhaust steam from the-power plant or can be heated solely by blow-off water and steam of the boilers or can be heated simultaneously by both exhaust steam and blow-off steam. In systems where sufiicient exhaust steam is available the water heaters and blow-off steam is not required. In some plants, however, the heatmg of the buildlngs requ res a great par-tot the exhaust steam and in such cases blowoff water heating attachment desirable.

The water heaters by being connected as .units with the heating system and by having the blow-oft water attachment can be connected at will to rapidly heat water in the most eflicient manner. By thus utilizing the exhaust. steam in the water heaters the power plant horse power waste is very much reduced and in most cases eliminated. In some cases blow-ofl steam will be tu ned into the rious buildings, etc. of the system. In this serving to maintain the temperature of the water in tank 9 at the desired point so that hot water is at all times available.

In some localities where water is scarce it may be desirable to save the blow-oil wa-- ter, and I have shown a heating attachment in which this blow-oft water can be reheated and delivered for wash-out or other purposes. The blow-oft water is drained into a tank 27 from which it is drawn by a pump 28 into a heating compartment 29.0f tank 30 into whose steam compartment 31 surplus blow-oit steam will flow from outlet pipe 25 of tank 9, the heated water flowing through a piping 32 to the place of consumption. The steam compartment 31 connects through a vacuum trap 33 with the return piper of the heating system. If no blow-oft steam is available the steam compartment 31 can be connected with the exhauststeam supply pipe e. Thus surplus blow-off steam will not be wasted but can be utilized for re-heating the blow-oil water. In my system, therefore, there is very little waste.

Water heating mechanisms are closely associated with the general heating system and form units thereof, a common vacuum mechanism serving all the ordinary heating units and also the water heater units. Blow-off waterand steam can be used alone for heating the water units or exhaust steam "from the heating system can be used alone or both can be used in combination. If there is an excess of blow-ofi' steam this excess can be turned back into theheating system or can be utilized for re-heating the blowofl water.

The water ofcondensation from all the heating units is conveyed back to the power house through return pipe 1' and can there be delivered from the vacuum pump to the feed water heater h to be reheated for recharging into the power house boilers. However, part or all of this water of corn densation can be charged into the tanks of the water heater units to mingle with the supply water entering through pipe l8. This water of condensation is distilled pure water and will take 'on the various minerals or other foreign substances in the main sup- "ply water of the heaters to thus prevent scale or sediment in the system.

As shown in Fig. 1, a pipe 34 leads from the vacuum pump to water compartment 11 of the heater unit W, a pump 35 being shown inselgted to force the water at condensation into the tank. It desired a tank 36 can also be inserted in pipe 34 to receive and to chemically charge the water of condensation before delivery to the heater tank.

By means of a valve 37 at the power plant a part or all of the return water of condensation can be diverted from the feed water heater to the piping 34.

I desire to secure the following claims by Letters Patent.

1. A round house system, comprising, as sources of surplus steam, steam driven power apparatus and locomotive boilers which .have their 'contents periodically blown oii', comprising an apparatus for utilizing such surplus steam, steam heated radiators, and one or more steam heated water heaters, an exhaust steam main serving said power apparatus and connections there from extending to each radiator and water heater. a vacuum inducing system common to and connected with, the exhaust side of each radiator and water heater through suitable branch pipes and a vacuum main, a vacuum inducing mechanism acting upon said vacuum main, a sealed blow-otl tank, a locomotive boiler blow-off main leading from theround house to said tank and provided at the round house with suitable loco- -motive boiler connections and suitable pipe haust steam main serving said power apparatus and connections therefrom extending to each radiator and water heater, a vacuum inducing system common to and connected with, the exhaust side of each radiator and water heater through suitable branch pipes and a vacuum main, vacuum traps interposed in the several connections leading from the radiators and water heaters to said vacuum main, a vacuum inducing mecha-- nism acting upon said vacuum main, a sealed blow-oft tank, a locomotive boiler blow-of main leading from the round house to said tank and provided at the round house with suitable locomotive boiler connections and suitable pipe connections from said tank to said exhaust steam main, whereby my name this 20th day of ()etober A. D. the several sources of surplus steam serve 1n 1909. common the several surplus steam utlhzln'g w devices and the vacuum inducing system ROBERT GIFFOL'D' 5 serves in common each and all of said latter Vitnesses:

devices for utilizing steam. CHARLES J. SCHMID'I, In Witness hereof, I hereunto subscribe ALBERT H. GRAVES. 

